Patrick: No 1. Goal Is 'Getting People Back To Work'

He's got a four-year extension on the corner office job, and Gov. Deval Patrick says he'll build on what he learned from his first term in the office.

Patrick has already met with his cabinet members and has signaled that his priorities during his second term in office include creating jobs, cutting unemployment and reducing health care costs.

"No. 1 is continuing to expand our opportunities getting people back to work and that's the strategy that's been based on education, innovation and infrastructure," Patrick said. "It's a working strategy, it's why we're adding jobs faster than 46 other states, we want to keep that going."

Patrick says he'll add jobs using a "job-by-job, company-by-company" approach and speaking with White House officials about contracts that are important to companies in Massachusetts, which he says would create jobs.

"It's bringing people together, bringing investors together with prospects here in the commonwealth, encouraging individual companies to grow jobs and to do it everywhere in the commonwealth," he said.

Patrick predicts that State House members next year will focus on pushing health care costs down using a "payment reform" strategy.

Patrick spoke with WBUR's Bob Oakes on Thursday's Morning Edition to give us a look at what lies ahead.

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